Ice fishing tent

ABSTRACT

An ice-fishing tent including a circular base plate with skis attached thereto, and having a vertical post secured to one edge thereof that is surmounted by a radial support arm. A plurality of radially extending ribs is connected to the support arm and carries a circular top member, a fabric shell being connected between the base and said top member. Spring biased, removable brace tubes extend vertically between the outer ends of the ribs and brackets on the base to complete the assembly.

United States Patent Inventor Morris Kashuba 1563 Main St., Peckville, Pa. 18452 Appl No. 839.277 Filed July 7, 1969 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 ICE FISHING TENT 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

U.S.CI 135/1, 135/ 3 Int. Cl A45f l/02 Field of Search 135/1, 3,4, 5, 5 (B), 8; USO/(Zipper Digest) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,581,180 4/1926 Csajaghy et al l35/4X 1,856,658 5/ 1932 Rummler ..l.60/Zipper Digest 2,188,213 1/1940 Wilson l35/5B 2,464,884 3/1949 Noyes 135/1 2,631,520 3/1953 Geerling 135/8X 2,891,562 6/1959 Kruczynski l35/4X Primary Examiner-Peter M. Caun Att0rneyBacon and Thomas ABSTRACT: An ice-fishing tent including a circular base plate with skis attached thereto, and having a vertical post secured to one edge thereof that is surmounted by a radial support arm. A plurality of radially extending ribs is connected to the support arm and carries a circular top member, a fabric shell being connected between the base and said top member. Spring biased, removable brace tubes extend vertically between the outer ends of the ribs and brackets on the base to complete the assembly.

Patented March 16, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- IN VE/V TOR MORRIS Knsuuan flT TORNE Y5 Patented Mar ch 16, 1971 v 3,570,507

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v vs/v roe Map/a5 Mas/r054 2am MM HT TORIVE Y5 ICE FISHING TENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to tents, and more particularly to a quickly erected and easily moved tent to serve as a shelter for ice fishing.

2. Description of the Prior Art The concept of utilizing shelters to protect one from the elements while ice fishing is not new, nor is the concept new of utilizing tents for this purpose. Indeed,'many ice shelter constructions have been proposed.

While tent structures have been designed expressly for use in ice fishing, they commonly are quite bulky, difficult to assemble and disassemble, hard to fold properly, and have other like problems. The need has thus existed for a lightweight, quickly erectable and easily foldable tent for ice fishermen, and the present invention satisfies that need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The tent of the present invention is highly compact and easily moved when in a disassembled or folded condition, and includes a circular base plate to which skis are fastened for easy maneuverability. A bracket is secured to the base to project from the periphery thereof, and supports a removable vertical post that is surmounted by an inwardly directed radial support arm.

Three spaced radial ribs are secured at their inner ends to a bolt passing through a circular top plate of somewhat smaller diameter than the base, said ribs and said top plate being detachably connected by said bolt to hang beneath the free end of the radial support arm. A generally cylindrical fabric shell is secured at its upper and lower ends to said top plate and the circular base, respectively, and has a door panel therein that is secured in place by zippers mounted on the two vertical edges thereof. The assembly is completed and made stable by three vertical brace tubes, removably inserted to extend between the outer ends of the radial ribs and brackets secured to the base member. I

The present structure can be assembled or dismantled in a very short time, and is very compact when folded. One feature of the invention is the ease with which the fabric shell can be collapsed and stored, this being accomplished merelyby rotating the circular top plate about one revolution while lowering the same toward the circular base, the latter having an upstanding rim thereon to receive the folded fabric and the top piste. The fabric shell is easily reerected merely by rotating the top plate about one revolution while raising it toward the support arm, to which it is then attached. Such ease of folding and unfolding a tent shell is believed to have no parallel.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, compact and easily erected tent for use by ice fishermen and the like.

Another object is to provide a tent with a cylindrical fabric shell, designed so that said shell is easily folded and unfolded during collapsing and erection of the tent.

A further object is to provide a portable tent for ice fishermen that is strong and resistant to the elements when properly erected.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following Description of the Preferred Embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a pictorial view of the ice fishing tent of the invention shown in an erected position, with the closure flap for the entrance shown in a half closed position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2. showing one of the brace rod brackets;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal top view. partly in section, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3',

FIG. 6 is an exploded pictorial view of the ice tent of FIG. I shown in a stored position; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. I, showing how the radial ribs and the top plate are connected to the free end of the radial support arm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the portable ice fishing tent of the invention is shown at 2 and includes a circular base plate 4 made of plywood or the like, said base plate having a hole 6 cut therein for access to the ice. A pair; of skis 8 is mounted to the underside of the base plate 4 by spacer blocks I0 and screws 12, the skis 8 being disposed on opposite sides of the hole 6 and having a tow rope I4 fastened to the tips thereof for easy skidding of the tent 2' across the ice.

Fastened to the underside of the base plate 4 by screws I6 between the rear ends of the skis 8 and opposite the ice hole 6 is a diamond-shaped bracket plate 18, a portion 20 of said plate projecting beyond the periphery of the base plate. The bottom end of a length 22 of vertical, square cross section hollow tubing is welded to the plate portion 20 outwardly of the base plate 4, the upper end of said length of tubing having a thumb screw 24 mounted thereon:

Attached by screws 26 to the bottom of the base plate 4 and spaced l20 in each direction from the bracket plate I8 are bracket plates 28, each of which projects outwardly from the periphery of the base plate. As best shown in FIG. 4, each plate 28 has a hole 30 therethrough, through which the threaded lower end of a short rod 32 is passed, the rod being secured by nuts 34 disposed above and below the plate 28. A coil spring 36 is received on the rod 32, and is surmounted by a bearing washer 38.

. The bracket plate 18 also has a short rod 32 mounted thereon, spaced between the tubing section 22 and the base plate 4. An upstanding rim 40 is secured to the periphery of the circular base plate 4, said rim having a gap therein to define the entrance threshold 42 to the ice tent.

The lower end of a rectangular in cross section vertical post 44 is received in the tubing section 22 and is secured thereto by the thumb screw 24, the upper end of said post having a collar 46 slidably received thereon and secured by screws 48. A radial support arm 50 is welded to the collar 46, and extends inwardly. An angle member 52 is secured to the free end of the arm 50, and includes a horizontal portion having a bore 54 therethrough that lies directly above the center of the base plate 4.

A top circular plate 56 is designed to be detachably connected to the angle member 52, said top plate preferably being made of fiberglass and having a diameter somewhat less than that of the circular base plate 4 so that it fits easily within the rim 40. The top plate 56 has a hole 58 in the center thereof. and a bolt 60 extends upwardly through said hole 58 and is secured by a nut 62. Received midway on the bolt 60 are the flattened inner ends of three radial tubular ribs 64, 66 and 68, said rib inner ends being mounted on the bolt by upper and lower nuts 70 and 72, respectively. The upper end of the bolt '60 is passed through the bore 54, and a nut 74 is threaded thereon to detachably connect the top plate 56 and the ribs 64, 66 and 68 to the radial support arm 50. Obviously, any other suitable bolt or other like arrangement can be substituted for the bolt 60.

Secured to the top plate 56 and the base plate 4 are the upper and lower ends, respectively, of a generally cylindrical fabric shell 76. The shell 76 is made from a sheet of nylon or the like, and is turned inwardly and hemmed at the top and bottom to form pockets 78 and 80, respectively, for receiving circular rings 82 and 84 made of tubing. The cylindrical shell 76 includes a closure flap 86 positioned in the region of the threshold 42, the bottom ring 84 being cut away at the threshold 42 like the rim 40. The flap 86 is secured to the body of the shell 76 by zippers 88 along its vertical side edges.

The top ring 82, and hence the shell 76, is secured to the un dersurface of the top circular plate 56 by a plurality of circumferentially spaced screws 90, and the bottom ring 84 is similarly secured to the base plate 4 by screws 92. Thus, the top plate 56, the shell 76, and the base plate 4 define a single unit, partially held in an erected position by the radial support arm 50.

The outer ends 94, 96 and 98 of the radial tubular ribs 64, 66 and 68, respectively, are downturned, and the downturned ends 96 and 98 are received in the upper portions of sleeves 100 carried by bracket plates 102 secured to the top ring 82 byscrews 104 (FIG. 5). The downturned rib ends 66 and 68 are secured by screws 106 to the sleeves 100.

The tent 2 is stabilized in its erected condition by three hollow brace tubes 108. Two of the tubes 108 are first placed on the rods 32 carried by the brackets 28. They are depressed against the coil springs 36, after which their upper ends are slipped into the sleeves 100. The third brace tube 108 is first placed on the rod 32 carried by the bracket 18, and then the upper end thereof is telescoped over the downturned end 94 of the rib 64. It is of course obvious that if desired the third brace tube 108 could be mounted like the other brace tubes [08, by utilizing a sleeve 100 and a coil spring 36 and washer 38 Erection of the ice fishing tent 2 is then complete. Typically, the tent 2 will measure about 40 inches in diameter, and will have an interior height of about 50 inches.

When it is desired to lower the tent, the tubes 108 are first removed. These tubes are stored on the post 44, which has a trio of spring clips 110 attached thereto for this purpose. The hollow bottom ends of the tubes 108 are received on posts [12, mounted on the bracket portion between the tubing section 22 and the rod 32.

The bolt 60 is then disconnected from the support arm 50, after which the top plate 56 is lowered to rest within the rim 40. In lowering the top plate 56, said plate is rotated one full turn in a clockwise direction. This action will automatically fold the fabric shell 76, so that it falls in place within the rim 40 beneath the plate 56, as shown in FIG. 6. The sledlike assembly 2 can then be easily moved to another location.

if the tent assembly 2 is to be stored in an automobile trunk or the like, the post 44 is removed. The various components can then be easily stored.

Erection of the tent 2 is accomplished in an opposite manner to disassembly. the top plate 56 then being rotated counterclockwise as it is elevated to position whereby the shell 76 is unfolded. The upper surface of the top plate 56 has Erect" and Store legends thereon in FIG. 6, together with appropriate arrows, to clearly indicate the direction in which said plate should be rotated.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible.

lclaim:

1. An ice fishing tent, comprising: a base plate; a vertical post attached to said base plate, and having a radial arm on the upper end thereof; a top plate attachable to said radial arm to hang therebelow; a plurality of radial ribs. the inner ends of said radial ribs being connected centrally to the upper surface of said top plate, and the outer ends thereof extending beyond the edge of said top plate and being downturned; a plurality of brackets attached to said base plate, one below each downturned rib outer end; a vertical brace member removably mounted to extend between each bracket and its associated downturned rib outer end; and a generally cylindrical fabric shell attached at its upper and lower ends to said top plate and said base plate, respectively, whereby said shell can be folded by removing said vertical brace members, disconnecting said top plate from said radial arm, and then rotating said top plate while lowerin the same toward said base plate. I

2. An ice fi hing tent as recited in claim I, wherein each of said brackets has a short vertical rod mounted thereon, said brace members being tubular and the lower ends thereof being receivable on said rods.

3. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 2, wherein the downturned outer ends of certainof said ribs are secured within the upper ends of sleeves secured to the edge of said top plate, the rods associated with said certain ribs having spring means thereon for biasing upwardly said tubular brace members received thereon, and the upper ends of said last mentioned brace members beingreceivable in the lower ends of said sleeves.

4. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim I, wherein said base plate has an upstanding rim thereon to receive said top plate and said fabric shell when said tent is collapsed.

5. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 4, wherein said base plate and said top plate are circular.

6. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim I, wherein said fabric shell has a vertically extending closure flap thereon, securable by zipper means disposed on the parallel vertical edges thereof. 

1. An ice fishing tent, comprising: a base plate; a vertical post attached to said base plate, and having a radial arm on the upper end thereof; a top plate attachable to said radial arm to hang therebelow; a plurality of radial ribs, the inner ends of said radial ribs being connected centrally to the upper surface of said top plate, and the outer ends thereof extending beyond the edge of said top plate and being downturned; a plurality of brackets attached to said base plate, one below each downturned rib outer end; a vertical brace member removably mounted to extend between each bracket and its associated downturned rib outer end; and a generally cylindrical fabric shell attached at its upper and lower ends to said top plate and said base plate, respectively, whereby said shell can be folded by removing said vertical brace members, disconnecting said top plate from said radial arm, and then rotating said top plate while lowering the same toward said base plate.
 2. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said brackets has a short vertical rod mounted thereon, said brace members being tubular and the lower ends thereof being receivable on said rods.
 3. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 2, wherein the downturned outer ends of certain of said ribs are secured within the upper ends of sleeves secured to the edge of said top plate, the rods associated with said certain ribs having spring means thereon for biasing upwardly said tubular brace members received thereon, and the upper ends of said last mentioned brace members being receivable in the lower ends of said sleeves.
 4. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 1, wherein said base plate has an upstanding rim thereon to receive said top plate and said fabric shell when said tent is collapsed.
 5. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 4, wherein said base plate and said top plate are circular.
 6. An ice fishing tent as recited in claim 1, wherein said fabric shell has a vertically extending closure flap thereon, securable by zipper means disposed on the parallel vertical edges thereof. 